Promise Me Your Heart
by MewMidnight
Summary: When Ichigo is attacked, she is saved by someone other than Masaya. Masaya can't help but let his jealousy get the best of him, and they drift apart. Now that Ichigo is losing him, will she move on? Or go back to Masaya? Who is really there for her?
1. Rescue

Description: While on the way to meet Lettuce, Ichigo is ambushed by an evil alien. When she is attacked, it isn't Masaya who comes to save her. Pai takes her back to the ship and heals her injuries, but how will Masaya react to this once she comes back to Earth?

Rating: T

Couples: Ichigo x Masaya (don't worry, it won't last long. ;D), Pai x Ichigo, Kish x Ichigo, slight Ichigo x Keiichiro, Kish x Lettuce, Purin x Tart, and Ryou x Zakuro.

MewMid: I never stop with the crack pairings. x3 So please enjoy! And PLEASE leave reviews, I don't know if people like it if I don't get some feedback.

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The sky was dark and threatening to rain. It had been rather stormy lately, a tropical storm was about to hit the coast from what Ichigo had heard. She walked briskly through the park trying to take a shortcut to the cafe. Her plan was to meet Lettuce at the cafe and go shopping with her this afternoon. Thunder rumbled in the distance causing the cat mew to shiver and put a little more spring in her step. A familiar sound caught her attention. Ichigo whirled around and looked around behind her, there was no one around. She couldn't see a single person. She shook her head and turned back and continued walking.

She only took a few steps and a sharp pain suddenly struck the back of her skull, she yelped and the force of the blow threw her to the ground. Her purse crashed to the ground beside her and the contents spilled all over the cobblestone path. Ichigo winced and got up on her knees, clinging to the back of her head. Hot liquid seeped out of a cut from the blow. Ichigo turned and looked around, there was no one there. Ichigo looked at her left hand, there was blood all over the palm of her hand. She flinched and fell back onto her rear when someone teleported in front of her.

He was tall and had light cream colored hair, he leaned down and grabbed her jaw before she could move to get away. His grip was rough and hurt her jaw, she winced. He leaned in close, the sudden proximity made her stomach lurch.

"Well, what do we have here? A lone mew? The one responsible for Master Deep Blue's death?"

Ichigo felt her whole body get cold. Her skin crawled at the mention of that evil aliens name. It had been a year since that incident, what was this alien's problem? Were there people that were truly upset about the death of the cruel leader?

Ichigo winced and grabbed at his hand as he slid his hand to her throat and squeezed her small neck as he lifted her from the ground. Ichigo kicked her legs as he held her there, she whimpered in pain,

"Why are you doing this?"

The alien grinned and released her, she fell back onto her rear and as she reached for her pendant, he summoned his weapon. He swung it down and slammed the weapon down on her hand, something inside her hand cracked from the impact. It was then she realized his weapon was a giant hammer. A shrill scream filled the air as Ichigo retracted the injured limb to her chest, holding it delicately with her good hand. The alien lifted the hammer above his head once more and swung it down, Ichigo rolled aside and dodged, still holding her wounded hand. The alien was fast, and swung the hammer around from the side, hitting the calf and ankle on her left foot. Her leg was knocked out from under her and she screamed as she fell onto her back. She winced and her eyes teared in pain, how could she be this weak against just one alien?

Her thoughts were interrupted by bolts of bright lightning explode above her, the lightning hit the alien that had attacked her. The alien yelped and flew across the small clearing and crumpled to the ground like a dead leaf. He groaned and attempted to pick himself from the ground but someone appeared beside him and grabbed his wrist. A tall violet haired alien yanked the surprised alien from the ground, holding his wrist in an unnatural position behind his back. The alien whimpered as Pai lifted his arm, causing his shoulder to creak in agony.

Tears rolled down Ichigo's cheeks in pain as she watched. Her hand was bleeding and ached from the wound, her ankle hurt as well. Ichigo did not sob, tears rolled freely down her flushed cheeks as she watched Pai swiftly yank the other alien's arm. A terrible crack was heard and the alien's arm fell limp beside him and he collapsed to his knees. The cream haired alien groaned and shook his head,

"I'm sorry Pai! Don't kill me…Please don't kill me!"

Pai scowled down at the back of the alien's head. He knew this alien. This alien feared him greatly. Pai surprised him and delivered a swift kick to the back of the alien's neck, causing his upper back and neck to crack as he collapsed forward. He screamed and rolled onto his back, holding his shoulder. Pai looked over at Ichigo, she just stared over, looking from him to the injured alien.

The tall alien stepped forward and held his foot above the wounded alien's ankle. Pai smashed his foot down and broke the other alien's ankle. The alien screamed out and attempted to crawl away, dragging the injured limbs. It was truly a pathetic sight. Pai then walked over to Ichigo and held out his hand to her,

"Are you all right?" His tone was cold and felt like a shock to her. She stared at him blankly for a few moments, her tear stained cheeks flushed pink. Pai slowly lowered his hand and stared down at the injured cat girl. Ichigo stared as he swept her purses contents back into the small handbag and walked back over to her. He then swooped down and lifted her bridal style, keeping her purse on his wrist.. Pai then flew into the air high above the city, so that it wasn't obvious that there was someone flying. Ichigo winced and favored her injured hand, letting her ankle hang limp. Everything ached, especially her throat. That alien was ruthless and had severely hurt her.

Rain began to pour from the sky in a downpour. Ichigo looked up into the dark grey clouds, they looked so close, as though they could be struck by lightning at any moment. She whimpered and clutched her hand as they flew. Both silent other than her small whines. Why hadn't Masaya saved her? Where was he? Was he hurt? Did he have something better to do? Where was Pai taking her?

Pai landed silently outside the cafe, everything was dark. Ichigo slowly shook her head, her voice barely able to be heard, "It's closed today… Lettuce and I were going to meet here to go shopping… I wonder where she is…" Ichigo trailed off, the pain in her hand was agonizing. Pai looked down at the upset cat girl, "Then I will treat you myself on our ship."

Ichigo didn't protest, she just winced and dropped her head against his chest, at least it was raining so he couldn't see her crying. The two appeared on the ship in a big steel room with lots of medical equipment in it. There was a door up on the far wall and Pai carried her through it. The steel doors opening and closing behind them automatically. It looked like a hospital room, only slightly smaller. Ichigo whimpered when he put her on the medical bed and set her purse aside. He then walked over to her left, sifting through various tools and objects. Ichigo shook her head weakly, it hurt so much. Blood trickled down her fingers and onto her school uniform. She looked up, the doors had windows in each of them and she could see into the other room. She wondered where Kish and Tart were briefly.

Pai then walked over to her, holding a few rolls of bandages. Ichigo's breath quivered as she tried to fight the urge to cry. Pai stood at the foot of the bed looking up at her with no real expression on his face, "I'm going to have to remover your footwear Mew Ichigo." She weakly nodded, biting her lip as he placed his hands on her shoe.

Ichigo winced as he slowly untied it, and gently wriggled his long fingers into the sides of it. In all honesty, it kind of tickled. Ichigo stared at Pai's face as he worked on loosening her shoe. She had never seen this side of Pai. He just saved her in Masaya's absence, and is even treating her wounds. Where was Masaya anyway? Pain surged up her leg as he gently tugged at the shoe, pulling it halfway down. Ichigo winced and clenched the sheets below her with her good hand, closing her eyes. Pai finished removing the shoe, and then looked up at her. Ichigo exhaled, letting her jaw loosen and she stared up at him with a hurt expression. She was wearing a pink tank top with a white skirt and thigh high pink stockings. She looked down at her stockings and blushed slightly, but he couldn't have noticed, her cheeks were already flushed from crying.

"I have to remove your stockings as well, they're wet, so I can either cut them off, or to save them I can just pull them off."

Ichigo waved her good hand slightly, "Just go ahead and cut them off…" She trailed off. The red head felt bad, these were some of her favorite stockings and she hated to have to cut them, but she didn't want to deal with the pain of pulling over her now quite swollen ankle. Pai grabbed small surgical scissors and began snipping off her stockings. Ichigo laid her head to the right, looking at the door that was partially behind Pai. Hot tears boiled out of her eyes and seeped down her cheeks. It hurt, and she was thoroughly embarrassed. She wasn't able to grab her pendant fast enough, and Masaya didn't even show up. Her thoughts were interrupted by two peeking faces in the windows of the door.

Kish and Tart made their way inside and observed the scene. Pai ignored their presence. Kish looked completely surprised, "What happened kitty cat?" He sounded genuinely concerned. Tart just stared in surprise and curiosity. Ichigo weakly smiled,

"I was attacked"

Kish's kind expression changed to a mixture of anger and surprise and he looked over at Pai. The violet haired alien ignored him and took the last snip of her stockings off, revealing the swollen skin to cold crisp air.

"It was Cray." Pai said with no real emphasis or emotion. Kish seethed and clenched his fists and jaw,

"I'm going to0"

"I took care of it." Pai stated, looking up at Kish as he unrolled one of the bandages. Kish scowled,

"Did you kill him?"

The oldest alien shook his head calmly and focused his attention on her ankle. Tart made a disgusted face at Ichigo's bleeding hand. Kish turned to face Pai completely,

"Are you fucking kidding me? After he did this to her?"

Pai still refused to look up while he carefully wrapped her ankle, "No, Never did I once joke about what happened. Had her injuries been worse, I would have considered it. But I stopped him before things got out of hand."

Kish scoffed and looked over at Ichigo with his concerned look once again, "Want me to kill him? I really hate him, I always have, so it's no trouble."

Ichigo almost wanted to laugh at his statement, Kish was always so protective, even though she wasn't his. She weakly smiled and shook her head, feeling dizzy from all the energy spent. Pai finished bandaging her ankle and clean her hand. Kish took a deep breath, and happened to notice that her shirt was rather transparent since it was wet. Kish averted his eyes so that she wouldn't see him look, he knew she didn't need this right now. Tart rolled his eyes and left the room,

"Get better hag." He mumbled as the doors slammed behind him. Pai looked down at the girl as he finished wrapping her hand,

"I will go find you some dry clothes, and be back shortly."

Ichigo smiled warmly at the alien as he turned and exited the room. Kish sighed and pulled a small chair up beside her.

"So how's life? Other than running into that waste of space Cray?"

The red head chuckled and turned her head to face him, "I've just… been working at the cafe… spending time with Masaya before he leaves for England… That's about it.. My grades have gone up since I don't have to fight you aliens anymore."

Kish ran his hand through his hair and grinned like he had made a mistake, "Yeah… Well I'm glad you're doing better. "

It wasn't long before Pai came back and gave her dry clothes. He then motioned for Kish to leave the room with him. Ichigo held the clothes with her good hand, wondering how on Earth she was supposed to do this. She frowned and looked over at the two aliens as they moved to exit the room.

"I-" She hesitated, her cheeks flushing a bit pink, the two turned toward her, "I can't really.. do this myself…" She said, lifting her injured hand. Pai looked over at Kish who now seemed quite interested. Pai shook his head and pointed toward the door,

"No. You leave."

Kish gave Pai a dirty look before glancing at Ichigo, and exiting the room as he was ordered to. He knew neither of them would want him in the room. Pai walked over as Ichigo sat up in the medical bed, her cheeks were still flushed pink. She kept her eyes down, she felt so embarrassed. Pai stood beside the bed and held his hand out, slowly, Ichigo met his gaze.

"It's all right Momomiya Ichigo, you don't need to fear me. I'm not Kish."

Ichigo felt guilty for some reason when Pai said Kish's name, as if it was her fault for his behavior. The cat mew turned slightly to get her back to face him. Her cheeks felt hot, her entire body felt hot and nervous. She hadn't undressed in front of anyone before, not even Masaya. Pai calmly grabbed the bottom hem of her tank top with his finger tips and pulled the wet fabric up. The violet haired alien didn't let his expression change, although he felt uncomfortable. He knew this was probably the first time she undressed in front of someone, and he felt almost guilty for doing this. But in all honesty, he just wanted to help her, and get her home.

Ichigo slowly worked her arms out of the wet tank top and kept her hands clutched to her chest, very embarrassed. Pai looked at her last piece of clothing covering her upper body, a small pink bra. He calmly set aside her wet shirt and stood behind her. He knew it would be soaked as well. Ichigo's cheeks were bright red, her face felt as though it was on fire. She felt the soaked bra with her arms and knew if she didn't take it off it would soak the dry clothes Pai had gotten her. Ichigo hesitantly turned her head to get a glimpse of the alien,

"If you just unclip it, I'll take it off myself."

Pai nodded and unclipped the small clip on her back, then turned around. His cheeks felt a bit warm, he tried to fight his embarrassment. He knew this was strictly business and nothing more. He didn't want anything more. He just wanted to help her and get her out of their ship so Kish didn't drive everyone crazy. Ichigo now held her arms pressed to her chest, covering her upper body.

"O-Okay…"

Pai turned back around slowly to face the girl. Her back facing him, he barely glanced at her before grabbing the dry shirt he had retrieved for her. It was a shirt of his own, since they had no females on board the ship. It was a violet tank top looking shirt, and he knew it would be a little big on her. Ichigo's face continued to get darker and darker, she thought she would pass out she was so embarrassed. The red head lifted her arms and Pai slid the shirt over her arms and down to cover her body. Ichigo then pulled her arms in close to her chest again as if she could hide.

Pai then walked around to the other side of the bed, where her legs hung loosely over the edge. He had brought her some sleeping pants he used that had a tie string so they would stay on her hips. Pai slid the pants over her feet, and took great care of not touching her ankle that much. He handed her the waistband so she could stand and pull it up herself. Ichigo struggled to stand on one leg, she wiggled around and then fell forward. She used her good hand and took a strong grip on Pai's shirt yanking it down to support herself.

"I'm so sorry!" She yelped as she finished pulling the pants on underneath her skirt. Pai turned and held his left arm out parallel to the ground,

"Hold my arm."

Ichigo did as she was instructed and clenched her small hand around the alien's muscular forearm. She observed him closely as he pulled her skirt over the pants down onto her legs with just his right hand. His arm wasn't as warm as she thought it would be. His skin was rather cold through the small arm-sleeves. She squeezed his arm as she stepped out of the skirt with the hurt ankle. Ichigo sat back onto the bed and let the skirt fall off onto the steel floor, Pai grabbed it and put it on the wet shirt.

Ichigo knew her undies were a bit wet from the rain as well, but that was one thing she sure as hell wasn't going to take off here. Pai looked at the red head, but before he could ask if she needed anything else, he noticed her looking down at the drawstrings to the pants. Pai felt slightly amused, this girl, at the moment, was completely helpless. He leaned over and grabbed the strings and began pulling them to tighten the grip on her waist. Pai seemed lost in his thoughts. Almost anyone else would taken advantage of the situation and perhaps molested her or gawked at her nude form. Pai figured there was about an 89% chance that this girl had been completely innocent, and had never been nude in front of anyone, except him. He couldn't care less. Pai stood upright once more after tying the drawstrings, Ichigo weakly smiled up at him,

"Thank you Pai."

The way she said his name intrigued him. Her words were suddenly so tender and affectionate. It made his face feel warm again, but Pai dismissed the feeling and held his hand out to her,

"I will escort you to a place where you can sleep, it's getting late. You may sleep here and I will take you back to the cafe in the morning."

Ichigo thought for a few moments and then agreed that it would be the best choice. She reached over and grabbed her purse, sifting through it to find her cellphone. She was going to tell her parents she was spending the night with Lettuce tonight so they wouldn't worry. Ichigo frowned when she opened her phone to text them,

"Will I be able to send a text to them?"

Pai nodded, "We are close to Earth and a few satellites you humans use for you cellular devices. " She nodded and texted her mother. When she was done, Pai put his arm around her waist and supported most of her weight and escorted her to her room. When they rounded a corner, Pai led her into a dim room with a large computer in the corner. Ichigo made a relieved sound as she collapsed back onto the large bed. She took a deep breath and shivered, the room was very cold.

"So who's room is this?"

Pai seemed distracted while turning off the computer in the corner of the room, "Mine."

Ichigo felt a nervous chill run up her spine, she sat up and looked worried, "Where will you sleep?"

"I won't."

Ichigo shook her head and shifted her weight to fully face him as he approached her, "But- I can't take your room Pai!"

Pai nodded and turned on the lamp on the nightstand, he pointed to a button on the side of the nightstand. He pressed it and a hologram popped up just above the surface of the nightstand, it was the time.

"This is how you tell what time it is, if you press the button and hold it for ten seconds, Kish, Tart, or myself will come to assist you if you need help. Ichigo nodded, still bewildered by the hologram. The tall alien turned and walked over to the exit, "Goodnight Mew Ichigo, I will take you back to the cafe in the morning."

Ichigo looked around the room, curious about it's contents, she smiled at Pai as he looked back at her before closing the door behind him. Ichigo laid down on the bed, and felt a shock run over her body. She had forgotten something. Where had Masaya been when she was attacked?

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MewMid: Yay! x3 So cute! And yes, Kish will be flirting with her, and later on he will be flirting with Lettuce. ;D


	2. Getting to Know You

Description: Ichigo must face Masaya at the cafe the next day, and isn't happy about what has happened. How will the incident affect their relationship?

Rating: T

MewMid: Please review… I love you… xD

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When Ichigo woke up, it wasn't long before Pai came to take her back to the cafe. But she didn't even imagine what would happen when she got back.

Pai ended up carrying her bridal style, causing her to be very embarrassed when he appeared outside the cafe, carrying her inside. Pai strode into cafe mew mew before it was open, Keiichiro saw them both first and panicked.

"Momomiya-san! Are you all right?" The chef said, truly concerned as he walked over toward the two. Pai looked over at the chef,

"She was injured yesterday, I've treated her injuries."

Just as Pai finished that sentence, Masaya walked in behind he and Ichigo. Masaya gasped when he saw his girlfriend in the arms of a once very vicious alien. Ichigo squeaked when she heard Masaya, Pai turned around with Ichigo blushing in his arms as she laid eyes on him. Pai was aggravated with Masaya. He should have been the one to have to save her. Masaya was the Blue Knight, and to Pai, he had fallen down on his responsibility to his girlfriend. Keiichiro just stared as Pai took a few steps up to Masaya. Masaya cooed at Ichigo with pity,

"Oh Ichigo! I'm so-"

"Where were you on that one boy?" Pai spat the words harshly and held Ichigo out to Masaya. The black haired boy had a look of guilt and worry as he took his girlfriend from the arms of the irritated alien. Pai then brushed passed them without a word and teleported. Masaya looked down into Ichigo's eyes, she seemed uneasy.

Keiichiro pulled out a chair and motioned for Masaya to set her down. Masaya did so and scooted a chair up so he could talk with her. Keiichiro could already see distress in their expressions, and left the young couple alone. Masaya grabbed her good hand and held it tenderly,

"Ichigo, I'm so sorry, I should have been there."

As he apologized, Ichigo felt like she had been abandoned. If Pai hadn't been around, how far would have that alien gone. Would he have killed her? Tortured her? Molested her? All these thoughts passed through her mind as she stared down at their hands.

"Where where you?" She almost whispered, afraid to question the one she cared about most. Masaya frowned and tried to look in her eyes,

"I was on the other side of town, and when I sensed you were in danger, I panicked. I was in the middle of a science and habitat convention and there were so many people around. I was also with a group, and they would have panicked if I just took off. As soon as I got the chance, I came here to check on you to see if you were all right. But you weren't anywhere! And why were you with Pai? And you're in his clothes!"

Ichigo looked up into his eyes, she felt upset and somehow slightly angry with him for suddenly hinting at an accusation.

"I was in trouble Aoyama-kun! Look at my arm! I really needed you! But you weren't there! Pai saved me!"

Masaya looked to the side, away from her eyes. It bothered him to see her in another mans clothing. He took a deep breath,

"I'm glad you're all right."

Tears welled up in her eyes, "You don't sound to happy about it. Are you seriously jealous of Pai?"

Masaya sighed, he reluctantly looked into her eyes, "I'm sorry Ichigo… but I was really concerned… and I hate to admit it… But yeah, Pai saving you did make me a bit jealous."

Ichigo huffed and pulled her hand slowly away from his, she lowered her head. Masaya kept his eyes on hers, his expression one of hurt. He felt guilty for being so jealous. Ichigo took a shaky breath,

"Would you have rathered him not save me?" Her words were bitter and made Masaya feel very uncomfortable, he sat straight in his chair, looking at her with a worried expression. Ichigo looked up at him, angry tears beginning to roll down her cheeks, "So instead of thanking the one who saved me you're jealous and would have rather had him not save me?"

"I didn't say that Ichigo!"

I saw the way you looked at him when he turned around to face you. Masaya felt offended now, it wasn't often he got upset with Ichigo, but he felt like he did a few months ago about Shirogane. He felt cornered, but she continued, she shook her head, "You didn't thank him or anything! He saved my life and you, my own boyfriend, wouldn't leave a stupid convention to save me! I don't need saving that often, but this was the one time I really needed you!"

Masaya huffed and shook his head, "I told you I was sorry! I thought you'd be fine on your own just this once!" After he said those words, he realized how it sounded. Ichigo was now glaring at him, but it was a hurt, unhappy, disapproving glare. Masaya felt his stomach grow nauseated, he shook his head and tried to grab her hand, "Ichigo I-"

She pulled her hand away from him and looked down, tears rolling down her cheeks. Masaya shook his head and tried to lean over to look in her eyes. They were closed and tears rolled down her flushed cheeks. Masaya's throat tightened, he felt terrible for saying that to her. Keiichiro then made an appearance, his expression solemn. The brunette walked over and put his hand on the back of Ichigo's chair, he looked down at Masaya, a disappointed expression on his face.

"I will take her home Aoyama-san."

It was the strangest tone Masaya had ever heard from the chef, it was so cold. He shook his head and stood up, looking down at Ichigo's sad face once again. Ichigo's breath became staggered and heavy as Masaya exited the cafe. Ichigo weakly stood up and turned toward the brunette chef, and collapsed onto his chest crying. Keiichiro hugged Ichigo and rubbed her back, "It's okay Momomiya-san… It's okay…"

Ichigo sobbed heavily onto his chest, she shook her head "Was I wrong Akasaka-san?" She choked out between cries. Keiichiro held her tightly and quietly cooed in her ear,

"No Momomiya, you did great. He should have been there for you, and he was wrong. It's okay… I'm so glad you're safe."

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Masaya burst into tears as he walked home, but he was angry at the same time. Anger was a fairly unusual emotion for him, he rarely felt angry about anyone, especially Ichigo. He shook his head and ran his hands through his hair, he wasn't sure what to do. Should he be thankful to Pai for saving her? Or upset with Ichigo for being angry with him for not being there? He wasn't sure by any means. Masaya wasn't sure of what to do either, how could he do anything? Ichigo was mad at him for not being there, and she had a right to be. But she didn't need to hold onto the anger.

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Once Ichigo was home, all she could do was sit around. She sighed and hobbled downstairs and into the kitchen. The red head huffed and supported her lopsided weight on the counter. Ichigo's dad grumbled from the living room, "Hey! Ichigo! what are you doing up and about sweetheart?"

Ichigo smiled, her dad was always worried about her, "I wanted to make a gift for my friend that helped me when I hurt my ankle." Ichigo's dad chuckled and mumbled an answer. Ichigo fumbled around in the kitchen, searching for ingredients, what better to make than a chocolate cake?

It took a few hours for Ichigo to make the cake, because she forgot an ingredient in the first one she tried making. Once she had it completed, it was adorable. It was a small round chocolate cake with white chocolate frosting pouring over the sides, and it was covering a thin layer of chocolate fudge on the top of the cake. In the very center of the top of the cake, Ichigo placed a little strawberry. She smiled and put the small cake in a red box, she also washed the clothes Pai had given her and folded them to return to him.

That evening, she called Purin, knowing Tart would be with her. She had Tart come over right before he left to go back to their ship. Tart just shrugged when she gave him the gift, and she instructed Tart to give the present to Pai along with a card she had hidden in the shirt.

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Tart appeared on the ship, holding the gift slightly away from him, afraid of ruining anything inside the box. He made his way into Pai's room, where the tall alien was doing research on his computer. Pai ignored the small alien until he plopped a box and clothes on his desk beside him. Pai looked over and stared at the red box. He then looked over at the short alien who shrugged his shoulders,

"It's from the hag, she wanted to thank you or something like that."

Pai blinked a few times, and then looked back at the box. He stood up and stood in front of the items, he moved the clothing aside and observed the little red box. He couldn't even fathom what could be inside the box. Tart peeked around Pai as the tall alien grabbed the edges of the box. Pai paused and looked down at the alien,

"Excuse me?"

Tart scoffed and stood beside the taller alien, "I wanna' see what it is."

Pai shook his head and opened the box to find a small cake waiting inside for him. He craned his neck down slightly, observing all the angles of the cake. Tart cooed, "Ooooh~ A cake!"

Pai smacked Tart's hand as he reached out to dip his finger in the icing, "Don't."

Tart rolled his eyes and pouted, "You jerk!"

"Tart, leave me alone."

Tart scoffed and stormed out of the room, frustrated with the older alien. Pai grabbed the clothes and walked across the room to put them away, but a card fell out onto the floor. Pai paused and grabbed the envelope, and sat down after putting away his clothing. He leaned back in his computer chair and gently opened the envelope. He pulled out the card inside, it was purple and had a few intricate designs on the outside. He opened it and read what Ichigo had written,

'_Dear Pai, _

_ I wish I could have thanked you in person for what you did for me, but I never really see you on Earth. I can't express how thankful I am that you stopped that alien, I really appreciate it. You saved me when no one else would. I'm sorry that I needed saving, but when I reached for my pendant, he smashed my hand. _

_But forget that! haha! I hope you like the cake! Oh! Sorry about that embarrassing moment we had, but I'm glad it was you who helped me. Any other guy would have probably taken advantage of my situation, and you didn't, thank you. _

_Thanks again, Ichigo. _

_P.S. You should come by the cafe sometime! :) ' _

Pai closed the card and set it aside, he smiled slightly as he looked over at the cake. It did look delicious, but he decided to put the cake back into the small red box and eat it later. Not too long after he continued what he was working on, Kish came into his room. This could be bad.

"Hey Pai, what are you doing?"

Pai felt slightly irritated at Kish's interruption, "I'm working."

Kish walked over and grabbed the red box, "What's this?" He asked in a way that seemed as though he already knew. Pai looked over at the younger alien,

"It was a gift."

"From Ichigo no doubt."

Pai narrowed his eyes slightly at the alien, but then went back to working. Kish groaned and set the box down on the desk, "Awesome." He almost spat the word, he was aggravated about Ichigo's kindness toward his cousin. Pai ignored the frustrated alien and kept typing.

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A certain red haired mew had worked today, and ignored Masaya while working. She wasn't sure what to say after that type of fight. But as the cafe slowed down, and there weren't that many people left, two people came in casually. Ichigo smiled when she saw them, it was Pai and Tart. Purin immediately ran over and tackle-hugged Tart, kissing his cheek and making him blush. Pai walked over and took a seat at the nearest available table. Ichigo walked over to the table, immediately causing Masaya to grow uneasy.

Ichigo smiled down at the seated alien, "You came!"

Pai looked up at her, he wasn't smiling, but somehow he smiled with his eyes up at her.

"Indeed."

She shifted her weight when she saw Lettuce and Mint out of the corner of her eye staring at her with surprised expressions. The cat girl pulled out a small notepad, "Want anything?"

Pai seemed quiet for a moment, looking passed her in thought, "Coffee will be fine."

Ichigo walked off to the kitchen to give Keiichiro the order. Masaya stared at her as she walked passed him without even so much as giving him a glance. Masaya frowned and walked over to Pai's table, he had enough of this. Lettuce and Mint flocked after Ichigo into the kitchen, leaving Zakuro to serve the customers and Purin to smother Tart. Mint grabbed Ichigo's shoulders and whirled her around before she gave Keiichiro the order. Lettuce had her hands clasped in front of her with a worried expression. Mint wasn't so shy about the issue at hand,

"Ichigo! What the hell is going on with you and Masaya?"

Ichigo frowned at the bird girl's invasive attitude, "It's none of your business Mint. I-"

"But Ichigo! You're really hurting Masaya-san's feelings, he's been so sad today." Lettuce interrupted, frowning at the girl. Ichigo sighed as Lettuce continued, "And you went over and talked to Pai openly in front of him!"

Mint shook her head, "You're going to tell me what happened."

Keiichiro had his back to the girls, perhaps they had forgotten he was standing right there. He just made the cakes and decorations quietly in the background, hoping no one would snap at him too.

Out in the Cafe, Masaya sat down at Pai's table. The violet haired alien wasn't amused as he shifted his gaze to the human before him.

"Pai, I wanted to talk to you."

Pai just stared at him, seemingly uninterested in whatever the boy was saying. Masaya sighed and continued, "Look, I don't know what went on between you and Ichigo, but I'd like to know. I'm sorry I'm so nosy about the way you rescued her, but I have to know." The alien was no longer looking at him, whatever was passed Masaya was far more interesting. Masaya clenched his fists, "Please Pai, she's my girlfriend, I need some closure…" His last few words seemed to trail off. Pai's amethyst eyes fell on Masaya's without expression,

"You want to know what happened when I took her away from Earth and to my ship."

Masaya was very tense and stared intently at the distracted alien. Pai was debating whether or not to fully explain what happened, or tell the boy to ask Ichigo. The alien sighed and looked back at him once again,

"Mew Ichigo was attacked by an alien in the park on the way to the cafe. I happened to be within earshot of them while collecting data samples of your soil and water here on Earth. When I heard her scream I figured I should at least go look since I recognized the voice, so I did. I happened to catch the alien and injure him in a similar way to how Mew Ichigo was hurt. He disappeared and I collected her things, and then flew her to the cafe. I didn't ask what she was doing, or where you were, I just did what I assumed would benefit her the most, since _you_ weren't there." Masaya looked down at the table, listening closely, it bothered him that Pai pointed out his absence. He continued,

"When we arrived at the cafe, it was closed and no one was around. I decided that the best course of action would be to treat her wounds on my ship, because I don't trust your human hospitals. I took her to the ship and treated her wounds, changed her clothes, and then gave her a place to rest after the incident. The next morning, I returned her here, where you immediately began asking questions."

Masaya allowed the information to sink in for a few moments, Pai leaned back in his chair, completely relaxed. The black haired boy's eyes shot up at Pai, "_You_.. changed her clothes?"

Pai nodded without hesitation or emotion toward the subject. Masaya blinked a few times and took a shaky deep breath, "What? Why?"

Pai narrowed his eyes at the aggravated boy, "Her clothing was soaked and she was cold. Her injuries made it too difficult for her do do it on her own, so I did it myself."

"How dare you! You pervert!"

Masaya's outburst wasn't loud enough for others to really hear, but he was visually furious. Pai felt amused at the boy's distress, "Pervert? That's quite an offensive term."

"But that's what you are! Taking advantage of an injured girl to get her undressed!"

Pai scowled, now getting quite irritated with the boy, "I did not take advantage of her by any means, if I had wanted to do that, I would have. I have no interest in having a forced sexual encounter with your 'girlfriend.'" Masaya grit his teeth, it had been quite a while since he had been this upset with someone.

"I can't believe you. Why didn't she just come home!"

"She was wounded you fool, I treated her wounds and decided to just house her for the evening. What angers you more? The fact you didn't save her and I had to, or the fact I saw her nude form before you did?"

Pai seemed very amused by the situation, humans were so interesting. Masaya looked away, running his hand though his hair with great frustration. He shook his head, taking a deep breath, Pai allowed a small smirk on his face.

"Frustrated I see? Well I didn't come here to talk to you, I came because your girlfriend invited me. So if you don't mind-" Pai motioned for Masaya to leave him. Pai's motion was like a kings dismissal of a lower subject, Masaya scoffed and got up quickly, shoving the table slightly as he stood up. At that moment, Ichigo rushed out with the tray with coffee, sugar cubes, and a small cup of creamer. Pai nodded at her, "Thank you."

Ichigo put the tray down and turned to watch as Masaya walked back toward the back of the cafe. She darted off after him, "Aoyama-kun?"

Pai shook his head and mixed his coffee, humans were fools.

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MewMid: Yay! I hope everyone liked it! x3 I hope you review too! :D

Hey, vote for who you want Kish to go after... I'm thinking Zakuro or Lettuce... x3 Let me know what you think!


	3. Problems

Description: Ichigo tries to work things out with Masaya, but things have gotten worse, perhaps this is the speedbump to end Masaya and Ichigo's relationship. Pai could care less…

Rating: T cursing…

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The red haired girl followed Masaya into the locker room in the back of the cafe.

"Aoyama-kun!"

Masaya turned toward her, his arms out in a strange frustrated pose, "Ichigo what are you doing with Pai?"

Ichigo shook her head, "No! I'm not doing anything! He just saved me! That's all!"

"No! You're lying! I talked to him, he saw you nude? You slept on their ship?"

Ichigo's cheeks flushed pink, "Aoyama… He just helped me change my clothes, he was just helping me, he didn't even look! I was just spending the night because I was exhausted and told my parents I was at Lettuce's house anyway!"

"What were you thinking?"

"What are you talking about! What choice did I have? You didn't come for me!"

Masaya shook his head and looked away from her, "Ichigo, I'm so mad and hurt I can't even express myself. I love you, and you were supposed to be mine, but then you just let an alien put his hands all over you!"

The cat girl narrowed her eyes, "I love you too! But you're being a jerk! He saved me and you aren't even thankful that I'm safe! Just because your not the one who is the knight in shining armor this time."

"That isn't what this is about Ichigo."

Ichigo threw her arms up and stepped toward him, "That's exactly what this is about Aoyama-kun!"

Masaya shook his head and looked at her with a hurt expression, "I'm not dealing with this if you wont just admit you did something wrong Ichigo."

She clenched her jaw and stepped aside, "Then go."

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Masaya had gone home after the fight with Ichigo. The cat girl went into the main part of the cafe and sat down at Pai's table. Pai looked up at her with a usual numb expression, "Didn't go over well then I'm guessing?"

Ichigo shook her head, "He can't just be thankful to you for saving me… I…"

Pai put down the empty coffee mug and listened as the cafe was beginning to clear out. Ichigo looked over at him, "Pai, do you want to come over or something? I'm pretty sad… And the girls don't understand…"

Pai was surprised at her offer, he sat quietly for a moment staring down at his empty mug. If he said no, it would be rude and make her feel bad about what happened between them.

"All right."

Ichigo smiled and stood up, she already had her purse, "Then lets go, they can close the cafe without me."

Pai followed the girl to her house observing the way there and listening to her talk. When they went inside Ichigo turned toward him, "Do you want to watch a movie or something?"

Pai weakly nodded, "I- Sure…"

He wasn't sure what do do from there. She ended up starting the movie, and the two sat on the couch together. During the movie, nothing much happened between them, they didn't really interact or anything. But after the movie, during the credits, Ichigo's mood seemed to change. It was dark outside and she seemed to be really unhappy.

"Something bothering you?"

Ichigo sighed and looked over at him, "I'm really upset… I thought maybe having some company would help me feel better, but it only took my mind off of it for a little while."

"Well some film entertainment wouldn't make you forget the situation at hand. But don't worry, you'll be fine."

She looked over at him, "Thank you Pai… I don't know why you're so cold all the time, but you're actually really sweet."

Pai felt nervous at her comment, her eyes then welled up with tears in front of him. He felt suddenly sort of guilty, "I-"

Before he could speak Ichigo fell onto his lap crying. Pai stared down at her, unsure of what to do. His body tingled with nervous energy, he felt uncomfortably warm at her sudden contact. Pai then heard a car pull into the driveway. Ichigo perked up, she looked over at Pai with a worried expression

"My parents won't like you being here, I'm sorry!"

Pai nodded and quickly disappeared, Ichigo felt a sad feeling crawl over her when he was gone. Her parents then came inside and wanted to talk to her about her day. She didn't inform them that she and Masaya may be over.

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It had been two weeks since Pai had gone to Earth. He was running experiments and had no real interest in returning to Earth. He did feel as though he had abandoned Ichigo after that strange night. He couldn't help but think back to that night with a certain amount of fondness. The steel door slid open to his lab and light footsteps made their way over to his lab table.

"What are you doing?"

"What I'm always doing Tart. I'm running experiments on Earth's soil."

The small alien sighed and looked up at Pai, "You know, Ichigo asked about you today."

Pai paused for just a moment but didn't look down at Tart, he continued mixing chemicals and powders.

"Why?" The cold alien said numbly, keeping his eyes on his flasks. Tart leaned against the countertop and crossed his arms,

"She wanted to know how you were doing and if you were going to come back to the cafe."

Pai looked down at the short alien, "And why would she ask such a thing?" After asking Tart he then realized it was foolish to ask such a young one. Tart rolled his eyes,

"I don't know! Maybe she misses you!"

Pai looked back to his experiment and kept working, Tart scoffed and left the room. The violet haired alien was now very deep in thought, he wasn't sure of what to think of Ichigo's concern for him. He tried to shake of the feeling. It didn't work.

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Ichigo was like a zombie at the cafe now, she didn't really talk with anyone. Masaya had quit working at the cafe. Ryou had tried talking to Ichigo about what happened between them, but she just brushed everyone off. She briefly mentioned the fight they had, and that was the extent of her explanation. Lettuce was truly concerned, Zakuro didn't pay any attention, but was a little concerned as well. Purin wasn't paying attention, and Mint ignored her because she didn't care for other people's problems.

Kish had been at the cafe a few times in the last two weeks, but he seemed to have toned down the flirting. He wasn't flirting with Ichigo as much, and he talked to all the mews. Even Zakuro, when he had the opportunity.

The red haired girl served a table without much emotion, "Here you go madam, let me know if you need anything else."

Kish frowned at Ichigo's behavior and walked over to Lettuce, "Hey, would someone tell me what's wrong with Ichigo? And where's lover-boy?"

Lettuce shushed him and shook her head, "Shh! We think they broke up! But we aren't sure… She's been really off lately…"

The green haired alien looked over at the girl he once loved, "That's sad."

"It really is…"

Lettuce was basically whispering to him, afraid someone would hear her gossip. Ichigo brushed through the cafe and grabbed her next order, passing Zakuro on the way over. Ichigo sighed as she took the tray, she and Masaya hadn't spoken since their fight. She wasn't sure whether they could say they were still together or not.

Pai stared at the cafe as he stood on the sidewalk. He was very unsure of himself now. Tart's words had kept him awake all night, 'Maybe she misses you…'

Pai could hear Tart say those words, they had kept him up for the passed few nights actually. The stoic alien walked into the cafe, for once feeling slightly anxious. Zakuro was the first person to see him, she was at the podium welcoming customers. She weakly smiled,

"What are you doing here? Looking for Kish?"

Pai shook his head and looked passed her, "No actually. I'm looking for Ichigo."

Zakuro frowned and looked back across the cafe at the distracted red head.

"Ichigo!" Zakuro called over to her, the cat mew lazily looked over in their direction.

She smiled weakly and walked over to them, "Pai! What are you doing here?"

Pai could tell she hadn't been sleeping well. She had slight rings under her eyes, and her hair wasn't as neatly kept as it usually was. The tall alien looked down at the red haired girl, her smile made his cheeks feel slightly warm, "I heard you asked about my whereabouts, so I decided I'd better come myself."

Ichigo giggled and smiled up at him, suddenly far happier than before, "Well are you doing anything tonight? We can go catch up or something."

Pai nodded and watched as the took off toward the kitchen, telling him to wait a minute. Zakuro looked over at him from the podium, "Pai."

Her tone was icy, yet she seemed very concerned about something. He looked over at the tall girl, she was staring at him as if she were about to tell him the world was going to end.

"Pai, don't fool around with her. Ichigo's been through enough lately with Masaya, and doesn't need someone leading her on only to crush her. She's already pretty messed up. I appreciate you coming to see her, but we are her friends, and are going to stick up for her. Don't start flirting unless you're going to take the initiative and make her happy."

Pai just stared, dumbfounded by the wolf girl's words. He blinked a few times and looked back into the kitchen through the serving window, Ichigo was talking to Keiichiro about something. He took in all of what she said. He didn't want to lead Ichigo on, what was he doing here? He hadn't been in a relationship in forever, and is only other relationship ended when he left to fight for Deep Blue. Why was he here? Could he be slightly attracted to her? Was she interested in him? He had always been certain with any actions he had taken in the passed, but now, he was so lost, it frightened him.

"Pai?"

Zakuro asked, leaning in his field of vision, he snapped back into reality and looked at Zakuro with wide eyes. She looked confused, "You understand?"

The violet haired alien slowly nodded, he wasn't sure what he was doing. Because the one thing he couldn't control, was her will. Pai looked up as Ichigo ran up to him, Zakuro went back to working at the podium. Ichigo had changed while he was lost in thought, and she walked beside him as they exited the cafe.

"Akasaka-san let me have the rest of the evening off! Isn't that great!"

Pai nodded, smiling with his eyes as the girl followed him. Ichigo laughed and ran her hand through her hair playfully, "Well.. I didn't even think of what we could do…"

The alien felt a chill run up his spine, what would they do? She had taken the afternoon off to be with him, he hadn't realized the gravity of the situation. Thoughts and ideas raced through his mind, he thought of seeing another movie, but what if her parents were home? Why was he thinking such things. It had been her idea to see the movie, now he felt as though it was his turn. There was one thing he could do that humans couldn't.

"Is there anything you have right now that you wont need tonight?" He asked, looking down at her. The red head shook her head,

"Nope! I'm all set!"

Pai thought for a few more moments, he stopped and turned toward her.

"Then shall we go?"

Ichigo clasped her hands together, causing her little white purse to sway out beside her, "Where are we going?"

Pai found himself smiling subconsciously down at her, he didn't even realize that he was doing so, "I am going to take you somewhere."

Ichigo smiled and shifted her weight around as he lifted his hand up to her, "Lets go."

Ichigo's cheeks flushed a little tinge of pink as she took his hand and they teleported. When they appeared again, Ichigo gasped and looked around. The air was hot and dry, and a gently wind caused her hair to billow. Pai smiled at the back of her head as she took in the entire scene before her. The gorgeous golden sun was just above the horizon, causing the enormous pyramids around them to glow. The enormous desert around them was golden and warm, the air was no longer scalding because it was evening.

"E-Egypt?" Ichigo gasped, turning toward Pai. She looked around, they were on top of a pyramid. Ichigo laughed and kept looking around like a child in a candy store, Pai kept his eyes on her face. Was he actually attracted to her? He knew she had always been rather cute, but he didn't know much about her personality until she had opened up to him recently. Ichigo kept walking around the small flat surface on top of the slightly broken pyramid.

"Pai this is amazing! I don't believe it!"

Pai felt a shock run up his spine when she ran over and threw her arms around his waist, "It's beautiful!"

Pai blinked a few times as she released him and smiled up at him, he nodded, "I'm relieved you like it."

She nodded her head quickly, a huge smile on her face. Pai looked around the warm desert scene, "Is there anywhere else you'd like to see?"

The cat girl's eyes went wide, she looked up at him with great curiosity, "You.. You mean anywhere?"

He nodded silently, she was so much shorter than he was. She couldn't be taller than five foot six, and he was at least six foot five, nearly a foot taller than her.

"Uhmmm….. I can't pick between the Rocky Mountains and the African Savannah! So you pick!" She chirped, the huge smile still on her face. Pai looked down at her with a rather amused expression,

"Then we'll go to both."

He put his hand on her shoulder and teleported them to the middle of the African Savannah. Ichigo grabbed Pai's arm when she saw lions only about 50ft away. There were cubs clambering around through the tall grass, growling and tackling each other. Ichigo smiled and cooed at the baby lions, "They're so cute!"

Ichigo started walking around, Pai by her side. They were sure to keep clear of any animals they saw. Ichigo talked to him about how she was excited for the last year in high school. She then decided to ask a multitude of questions about the alien's home planet. What an evening this would be…

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MewMid: I wanted to end it there so the chapter wouldn't get too lengthy. xD I hope everyone likes it! x3

Please R and R!


	4. Flowers?

Description: Ichigo and Pai end up having more fun than they intended on their 'date'. And Masaya finds out about it, how will he react since they hadn't properly broken up?

Rating: T

MewMid: Ichigo x Pai FTW!

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The sun was a golden yellow and glowed a dark scarlet and creamy orange color as it started to peek behind the horizon. Ichigo and Pai walked toward the sunset as they talked about various subjects. Pai was informing her of how he, Kish, and Tart had been pulled into the war. Pai felt irked when Ichigo's mood suddenly dropped.

"I forgot…"

Pai just listened intently, her voice seemed sad now. The red haired girl shook her head slightly, hanging it a little as well,

"Masaya and I… Haven't… Really broken up properly… I'm not sure what to think…"

Pai felt slightly agitated when she mentioned him, because it brought down her mood and made her not enjoy what was going on now.

"You can do as you please Ichigo. That boy doesn't control your world, he _isn't_ your world. You're a strong girl, and need to step up, and do whatever it takes to make yourself happy."

Ichigo fumbled with her hands as she looked down at them, "I just feel bad, you know? Like… I don't want to hurt him…"

Pai's jaw tightened when she said she didn't want to hurt him, he looked down at her, "Sometimes it is necessary to do things for yourself, and not for other people. You don't exist to please other people, you exist to live and cherish your life. Not make sacrifices for those who won't do the same for you."

Ichigo thought about what Pai said, her eyes fell on the shrinking light on the horizon. The sun was taking it's last few peeks at this side of the Earth, kissing the treetops farewell as it dipped down. Pai looked ahead of them as well, and felt himself flinch when Ichigo grabbed a hold of his arm and leaned on him.

"You really are a genius Pai… You always know exactly what to say… and you know what you're talking about…" Her words were almost a whisper, and her eyes were down. Pai couldn't help but stare at the faint golden light shed on her face by the remaining light of the vanishing sun. He felt his cheeks grow warm, she was indeed very beautiful.

Pai stopped walking and Ichigo released his arm and looked up at him, Pai allowed a small smile to appear on his lips, "Ready to go?"

Ichigo nodded, a warm genuine smile coming across her face. Pai put his hand on her shoulder and teleported them out of sight without disturbing any creature nearby.

The two appeared in a grassy field with tons of flowers around them. They were on a small grassy hill top, with trees surrounding them a few hundred feet away. Ichigo looked up into the night sky, it was much darker here, and the stars peeked through the spacey blackness. Ichigo took a deep breath and stared up at them in great interest,

"It's beautiful…" She said, staring up at the hundreds of thousands of stars above them. Pai looked up, it was a sight he was used to seeing on their ship. He looked over at Ichigo's amazed expression, her large glassy eyes set on the dark sky. He stared at her large brown eyes, stars reflected in them as she looked around. Pai looked down for a brief moment, was he really this fascinated by a human? How could this have happened in such a short amount of time? There is no way that this could be love… He couldn't be falling…or have fallen for Ichigo could he? No. Kish loved Ichigo. Masaya thought he loved Ichigo. Pai looked back up at the young girl's face, her small mouth hung open slightly, her lips parted in the most intriguing ways. Pai just observed her round pink lips, they were so delicate looking, and as though they were so soft they would tickle.

The dark alien shook his head and looked up, trying to get his mind off of her. Pai stared into the black sky, observing the little glowing lights in the sky. He wasn't one to fall in love. He knew that. Ichigo wouldn't be interested in a dark alien that had once tried to kill her and her boyfriend. Ichigo noticed when he shook his head, she glanced over at him,

"What?"

Pai stared up at the sky, "Nothing, I was just pondering."

Ichigo giggled and nudged him, "So is this really Alaska? It's not that cold, it's just a little chilly."

The violet haired alien looked back over at her, his eyes smiling at her, "Yes, this is Alaska, North America. It is the end of spring, and the Summer is starting soon, so it should be a bit warmer than normal."

"You are really good at smiling with your eyes. You should smile more often, it's cute."

Pai felt his cheeks grow slightly warmer, she was flirting with him. He knew it. Pai had observed countless videos and films about two or more people flirting, he wasn't absolutely sure what to say. He allowed himself to smile at the girl, she was just looking at him with admiration it made his cheeks feel warm once again.

The aliens eyes fell onto Ichigo's lips once again, he felt a cold chill run up his spine. He had a problem. Her lips were really starting to fascinate him, and it was making his cheeks flush red. Pai looked back up into the sky, his cheeks growing warm. He frowned, why was this happening to him. Ichigo leaned closer to him, "You okay?"

Pai nodded, trying to keep from looking at her lips again. Ichigo giggled, "What were you looking at Pai?"

The aliens body felt tense, he really wasn't sure what to say. He bit his tongue slightly, feeling silly for having such ridiculous emotions about a girl. He had seen women, he knew what all their parts looked like and did. Why was Ichigo any different.

"N-nothing."

Oh great. Pai blinked hard, feeling like an idiot now for stuttering, now she really knew he was staring. The cat girl scooted over until their bodies touched and she leaned against him as they sat in the cool thin grass together. She leaned her head on his shoulder, a smile on her face, "You're silly… but it's okay… you don't have to tell me..."

The two sat in silence for a few moments, Pai stared at the stars, a shooting star flew across the dark scene. Ichigo made an unrecognizable sound, "That was awesome…"

There was no reason for him not to tell her. He felt like a child, trying to keep the girl from knowing what he was thinking.

"Your lips."

Ichigo sat up lazily and looked over at the alien, her expression one of minor interest.

"My lips?"

Pai hesitated looking over at her, "It's what I was looking at."

Ichigo smiled and blushed a little, she pulled a hand up to her mouth and barely touched her lips with her index and middle finger, as if him saying something changed the way they looked. Pai's gaze once again fell to her lips, her fingers tracing over them grabbing his attention. Ichigo tilted her head, "What about them?"

Pai's eyes shot back up to meet hers, he took a deep breath and allowed a rather sheepish smile to form on his face, "They're very… cute, and look so soft."

Her stomach fluttered and her cheeks flushed dark enough to notice in the dark. The star light made their faces dim and pale looking, but her cheeks flushed dark. Ichigo's smile widened and she fully turned to face him, sitting on her knees,

"Really?"

Masaya never said anything like that to her, he did tell her she was beautiful and that he loved her, but never had he picked something so specific. Pai had really taken in all of her features, and it made her giddy inside that he picked something so specific and had the courage to point it out to her. Pai nodded at her, his smile not fading in the slightest. He had always been a rather attractive male, but Ichigo had never actually sat and stared at him for a period of time. She looked away, deep in thought, Pai looked back up into the sky.

Ichigo felt a whole whirlwind of emotions, she felt attracted to Pai in an overwhelming way all of a sudden. Her cheeks flushing darker as she thought about his smile. Had he ever smiled like that before? The only time she saw him smile was before he saved the girls, and that was to all of them. But now it was just the two of them, alone. Her concern for Masaya had faded away, and she was now very preoccupied with the here and now.

The cat girl leaned forward, in close to Pai's face, he looked over at her, a slightly surprised expression on his face. Ichigo took in his scent as she stared into his deep eyes. He smelled like rain. It was difficult to describe, like an on coming storm in a forest. Her smile faded and the two sat there, nose to nose, her lips parted as she stared into his eyes. The slight motion caused Pai's eyes to fall, he immediately looked back up as she leaned in so close their lips were almost touching. Pai's breath tightened, he wasn't sure what to do from here, what was she planning to do?

Pai could feel her warm aura on his face as she leaned in and gently touched their lips. Never in a million years did Ichigo think she would be kissing an alien, much less Pai. But her body told her she wanted him, and to forget anything else.

Pai closed his eyes when their lips met, hers were warm and just as soft as he expected them to be, if not softer. Her curved lips pressed against his with a delicate touch that reminded him of a flower petal. Pai slowly put his arms around her shoulders and pulled her off her knees, gently taking her onto his lap. Ichigo's cheeks flushed and Pai could feel the heat from her skin as she sat on his lap, her knees on either side of his hips. The kiss paused and the two looked into each other's eyes. Pai missed her touch already, she seemed suddenly very shy now, "Sorry about that…"

The girl shifted slightly to move off of him as if she had done something wrong, but Pai put his hands on her shoulders and pulled her back. Ichigo seemed surprised as Pai slowly pulled her into another kiss, her lips tasted sweet, he couldn't help but want to taste it again. Ichigo blushed when he kissed her, wrapping his arms around her possessively. Ichigo's face grew hot as he pulled her to him tightly, her lower body pressed against his stomach. Pai's lips were cooler than hers, an interesting mix to her flushed warm ones. She wasn't aware that the aliens had a naturally cooler body temperature.

Ichigo closed her eyes and wrapped her arms around his neck cautiously, now nervous about what she should do. He was actually an amazing kisser, and his lips fit hers perfectly. Ichigo parted her lips enough to allow him entry, Pai seemed in no rush to invade her mouth. He did so very slowly, exploring around, his tongue tickling her slightly. Ichigo broke the kiss to gasp when Pai leaned back away from her slightly,

"Could I take you to one last location?"

Ichigo was quiet for a few moments and then nodded, Pai teleported them right away. They appeared on their ship, and plopped down onto a bed immediately. Ichigo gasped and held her hands to her chest, she wasn't sure about this anymore. Pai nuzzled her neck and cheek,

"Don't fret, I did not bring you here for that. Just a more comfortable surface."

Ichigo smiled and turned toward him, "I wasn't really worried about that, Its just…" She leaned in close, as though it was a big secret, "Kish is here."

Pai almost wanted to chuckle, "Don't worry about him."

Ichigo blushed once again when Pai reached up and cupped her face, "Your lips Ichigo… have me… Mesmerized. It's so strange."

He closed the sentence with a kiss, pressing his lips against hers gently, not wanting to rush anything or feel like he was pressuring her. Ichigo's body disagreed, she climbed onto the alien and laid down on him as he laid back onto his back. Ichigo pressed their lips together harder, Pai was rather surprised at her pace, her small tongue brushed against the roof of his mouth and his own tongue. Pai slid his left hand up her back and into her messy red hair on the back of her head. Ichigo couldn't really tell what was coming over her, perhaps it was her letting go of all her bottled up emotions from the last two weeks. Her mind wasn't anywhere near all the problems she had been facing, she felt like Pai and her were the only two who existed right now, and nothing else mattered.

Ichigo propped herself slightly up on Pai's chest, putting her head directly over Pai's, she broke the kiss for just a few moments to catch her breath. Pai stared up at her, still surprised at her actions, "Had enough?"

"Oah? Am I really that bad of a kisser?" She snapped, faking a frustrated tone while smiling down at him. Pai shook his head and rubbed their noses,

"No, you're amazing."

Ichigo laughed and rolled off the alien to his left, but wasn't expecting him to roll on top of her. Pai used his elbows to press into the mattress, distributing his weight so he wouldn't hurt her chest. Ichigo wrapped her arms around Pai's hard upper body, underneath his arms.

"You feel pretty strong."

Pai couldn't help but smirk at her comment, he then leaned in and nuzzled her cheek, much like a puppy. Ichigo giggled when he tickled her neck with his lips. Pai suddenly startled her when his hand clapped over her mouth, she flinched and looked at him with a worried expression, he was looking over at the door. Pai wasn't moving an inch.

Footsteps walked up to the door and someone knocked on the door, "Pai! You back yet?"

It was Tart. Pai just stared at the door silently, Ichigo tapped his hand and he looked back at her, she mouthed words to him, 'is it locked?'

Pai nodded and listened for the footsteps to disappear once again. Ichigo leaned up before Pai turned back to face her, and nipped at his neck. Pai turned back toward her and leaned in, planting a firm kiss on her neck, gently biting little patches of skin with his pointed teeth. He made it a point to not break the skin, he didn't plan on this going very far. He couldn't believe she was in his room below him right now. Ichigo slid her hands around his upper back and then around his stomach, her touch was gentle. The alien nuzzled her cheek and their lips met again, only more intense and hard. Heated lips slid over one another and hands grabbed at all the right places.

The violet haired alien paused halfway through the intense kiss, and leaned up, "I'm not sure about this, perhaps we… "

Ichigo's expression was one of disappointment, it made him feel a little guilty. But was she using him to get her mind off of the real world? He wasn't sure… He didn't want to admit it, but he wanted her more than he could have thought. The cat girl pursed her lips in a rather adorable way. Pai then moved off of her and laid beside her, staring at the ceiling. Ichigo turned toward him and put her head on his chest, "You're so respectable… If I acted this way around the guys back home they would have taken the opportunity in a heartbeat."

"I wasn't rejecting you Ichigo, I didn't want to be one of those who would exploit opportunities with such a lovely girl on the first night. I'm still quite unsure of myself and our forming relationship."

Ichigo giggled and squeezed him, "You're so cute, being all smart. And you're not a typical guy, I really admire that." Pai put his arm around her and held her close to him and closed his eyes, trying to calm his racing heartbeat. Ichigo nuzzled into his chest as the two laid in silence for a bit. Ichigo ran her fingers over his chest in front of her face while she thought about what they had just done.

"Sorry if I came on kinda' strong… I just… got caught up in the moment…"

Pai shook his head and rubbed her back, his body slowly starting to cool back down, "No, it's all right. I apologize for not reacting in a more proper manner."

Ichigo chuckled and looked up at him, "What do you mean? You stopped first, that's pretty crazy for a guy to do."

The alien nodded and opened his eyes halfway, slightly smiling down at her, "I don't want to ruin something I thoroughly enjoyed."

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MewMid: Awwww! x3 It's so cute! Ichigo got to Pai's soft side, with sexy lips! xD

R and R please!


	5. Not A Happy Ending

Description: Ichigo hadn't intended on the events of the passed night to happen, and has to face a sorry Masaya the next day. Things get rather complicated…

Rating: T

MewMid: I keep falling more and more in love with Pai x Ichigo. x3

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The red head stumbled into the cafe the next day, Pai had taken her home and Ichigo made up some story that she and Masaya went to a lock-in at a church and her cell phone had died. But that wouldn't fix her exhaustion at the cafe the next day.

Lettuce was the first to approach her, and Ichigo felt like she had to talk to someone about what had happened. The green haired mew was very ready to hear from her recently distant friend.

"Well… I went on a date with Pai last night… sort of…"

Lettuce gasped and looked into Ichigo's tired eyes, "A date?"

Ichigo smiled sheepishly and shrugged, "Well, I didn't exactly think of it as a date at first, but then he took me around the world, to places I had always wanted to see. It was so beautiful! I got to see the Great Pyramids of Egypt! Then we watched the sun set in the African Savannah, and he took me to a meadow under the stars in Alaska!"

Lettuce's hand was over her mouth and her eyes wide, she shook her head, "Ichigo! That's amazing I'm so happy for you! Did you have a good time?"

"Of course! It was gorgeous, and he's actually really sweet once you get talking to him! He's not really as cold as we all thought!"

Ichigo was getting more and more giddy by the moment, as was Lettuce. The green haired mew was so happy her friend was finally back to her old giggly self again. Ichigo continued with her story with tons of enthusiasm, "Then, while we were watching the stars, he kept looking at me! So I asked him what he was staring at, and he blushed."

Lettuce shook her head and giggled, "That's so cute! What was it?"

Ichigo's smile was wide as she kept explaining, the two were so silly for getting all worked up over a story, "He said he was staring at my lips! And at first I was kinda' confused, and then he told me he couldn't help but be fascinated with them and that they were cute and looked soft!"

Lettuce's cheeks flushed pink and she clasped her hands, "That's so romantic Ichigo! I'm jealous!"

"And so I ended up getting kind of caught up in the moment, and I kissed him!"

"YOU kissed him? Oh my goodness! You're so brave Ichigo-san!"

The girls continued giggling and talking about Ichigo's night with the tall alien, and failed to notice a familiar face enter the cafe. Zakuro froze when she looked up from the podium at the black haired boy. A weak smile was on his face as he looked up at the tall wolf girl, "Hello Zakuro-san, I was looking-"

"For Ichigo?" She snapped, interrupting him. Her tone was like ice and made Masaya's smile fade. He weakly nodded and looked across the room at Ichigo. Lettuce pointed at him, making Ichigo glance in his direction. Masaya motioned for her to follow him, and reluctantly, she followed him outside. The tan boy smiled with a certain amount of guilt on his face, he handed her a small bouquet of pink roses. Ichigo took them without a word, and looked back up into his sad eyes. He looked as though he was struggling to think of what to say.

"Ichigo… I wanted to talk to you about what happened the other day. I'm… not sure really… how to start." He seemed to be forcing it, he didn't seem genuinely sorry.

She took a deep breath and let the bouquet hang from her left arm, "What did you want to talk about Aoyama?"

He looked up into her eyes, he seemed rather unhappy, "I'm sorry I quit working at the cafe. I know it was immature of me, and I apologize."

She nodded, crossing her arms and shifting her weight now. Masaya bit his lip and looked away from her toward the road out front of the cafe. The cat girl leaned her head slightly forward,

"Anything else?"

It sounded a bit more impatient than she intended and she shifted uncomfortably. Masaya took a deep breath and looked at her with a mild disappointment,

"Ichigo, where are we going from here?"

Ichigo suddenly had a rush of emotions about what had been happening recently. Her date with Pai made her completely forget about her problems with Masaya, but now here he was, wanting an answer from her, on a subject she had tried to forget. She didn't want to hurt his feelings, but she wasn't sure she could still be with him after their little outburst at the cafe. He sighed as her eyes teared up, she shook her head,

"I-I don't know…"

She wasn't sure why, but she felt so sad and upset all of a sudden, like she had made a huge mistake. Masaya reached out and put his hands on her shoulders and smiled at her,

"It's okay. I'll be here for you if you want to be with me, but if not, just promise me you'll be happy."

Ichigo weakly nodded, tears boiling over and running down her cheeks. Masaya gave her one last smile and walked off, heading back home. Ichigo covered her face and shook her head, sobbing into her hands. She didn't know what do do, had she made a mistake?

The red haired girl wasn't aware that she was about to be discovered by an alien outside the cafe. Kish floated down out of sight on the side of the building, so no humans saw him as he landed and went to the entrance. He walked around a corner and saw Ichigo crying against the pink outer walls of the cafe. He rushed over to her,

"Koneko! Are you all right?"

Ichigo sobbed and shook her head, waving a hand as if to dismiss him. Kish looked at her with great concern and put his hand on her back, "What's wrong?"

The cat girl shook her head and looked at him, her cheeks flushed from crying. Kish looked around in a slight panic, he wasn't sure what to do. Ichigo turned away and ran to the front of the cafe and darted inside, she didn't stop until she was passed everyone and in the locker room. She sat down on a bench and sobbed into her hands. Ichigo shook her head, her wet cheeks rubbing against her hands, she wasn't sure why she felt so sad. She had already known she was going to let Masaya go, especially after spending a night with Pai, but she didn't know it was going to be so hard. She felt guilty and like she had made a mistake.

Lettuce was outside the door, lightly knocking, she didn't want to just barge in and bother her.

"Ichigo-san!" She called sweetly through the door, her voice rang with concern and worry for the cat girl. Kish walked up behind Lettuce and frowned,

"I don't think she'll come out. I saw her boyfriend leave in quite a hurry, leaving her beside the cafe crying."

Lettuce gasped and covered her mouth, "You mean they weren't already broken up!"

Kish shrugged and shook his head, "Look, I don't know anything about Ichigo's situation, that's just what I saw. I just want her to be all right."

Lettuce smiled at him warmly, "You're a really good friend Kish."

The alien huffed and looked into her big blue eyes, "Nah."

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Ichigo stayed in the locker room for about an hour before coming back out and returning to work. No one asked her about what had happened. They just treated her as though nothing was wrong. The day felt like it dragged on forever, but it was such a relief when the day was over.

When Ichigo grabbed her bag and bouquet, she left with just a wave to each of the girls and a forced smile. All Ichigo wanted was to go home and curl up in bed. She felt sick to her stomach about what happened and didn't want to talk about it. As soon as she got home, she tossed the flowers in the trashcan, not wanted to feel more guilt by looking at them. She faked a smile when telling her parents about her day, but when she got upstairs, she just cried her heart out.

Red hair was sprawled out on her pillow as she muffled her cries, she felt lost. Was it the right choice? Was Masaya still mad at her? She knew she wanted him to apologize to Pai, but then she felt guilty for having that evening with Pai behind Masaya's back. She shook her head and sobbed into her pillow, why were things so complicated now? How could things get any worse?

Ichigo cried until she dozed off, but she wasn't asleep for long, her parents slammed their bedroom door a little loud when they went to bed and woke her up. Ichigo rubbed her eyes still laying on her stomach, the corners of her eyes stung with dried salt. Her thoughts returned, she took a shaky deep breath, she really didn't want to cry anymore. Ichigo clenched her jaw and pressed her face back into her pillow, fighting the ache in her throat that urged her to cry once again. Ichigo's sharp breathing muffled the noise of the intruder that teleported into her room.

Ichigo flinched when she felt a hand on the back of her head, a tall alien sat down on the edge of her bed and ran his fingers over the back of her head and down her back. Ichigo took a deep breath and shook her head,

"I didn't want you to see me like this."

Pai couldn't seem to have cared less that she was crying, "What happened?"

Ichigo rolled over and sat up to face the dark alien, his face now with a softer expression than normal.

"Masaya came to the cafe today, and he and I sort of… broke up… But… I just don't know what to think anymore! I didn't tell him about you and me, but I still feel guilty and unsure of what I'm doing. I mean, for a while he was really good to me, but then we slowly started getting… I don't know, I guess bored of each other… He's so sweet, but then how he talked about you rescuing me made me mad. He wasn't even there for me! Why couldn't he just be happy I was safe?"

Pai was silent for a few moments, looking into her watery eyes, she sniffed and rubbed some tears off of her cheek. Pai shook his head,

"I don't understand human beings. You all live to destroy one another's life, it's absolutely ridiculous."

Ichigo took a shaky breath and listened closely, she nodded, tears rolled down her flushed cheeks. Pai had a slight look of sadness on his face, he didn't like seeing her so unhappy, it felt like they were lost in a sea of darkness. He sighed,

"There isn't much I can do about him, but-"

"Can I come back to your ship tonight?"

Her abrupt question made his body tingle, he stared at her, slightly wide eyed. Pai wasn't sure why she would want such a thing, her eyes were begging him, tears rolling down her cheeks. The alien caved, he didn't want to see her cry anymore, he slowly nodded. Ichigo leaned forward and hugged him, sobbing slightly on his shoulder. Pai numbly put an arm around the sad girl, he wasn't sure what he was feeling anymore. All these emotions were new to him. His chest ached for the girl, his stomach was upset the moment he saw her crying. How and why had he grown so soft? When did he grow a heart?

The tall alien stood up and gently took her hand and teleported the two of them onto his ship. He knew Kish wasn't on the ship, neither was Tart, so they didn't have to worry about running into anyone. The night was young, and Pai wasn't expecting an intruder on their ship.

Ichigo wasn't really up for doing anything too vigorous, so she curled up on his bed when they got there. Pai shut down his computer and laid down beside her in the dim room. Only a small lamp lit the room from Pai's nightstand. The red haired girl put her head on his chest and clung to him like a baby koala. Pai couldn't help but feel slightly glad she was beside him. No woman had ever shared this bed on this ship with him. He didn't want to admit it, but he rather enjoyed the company.

Ichigo wasn't a typical girl, she was very easy for him to be around. She wasn't silent, and never avoided conversation with him, even though he knew he wasn't the most talkative of people. She always was interested in everything he did, which he rather liked. Ichigo was as curious as a kitten and was always poking around and asking questions, but she seemed to really appreciate her life. Pai sighed, he rather enjoyed the girl. She wasn't anything like him, and he liked it. Ichigo was outgoing and bubbly and he felt like she could really pull him out of his comfort zone, which he really needed. Pai didn't mind being quiet and staying away from other people, because no one had ever taken a step back and truly wanted to get to know him. Kish and Tart were his cousins, and didn't really know much about him. They respected him, but didn't know much about his interests. Ichigo was constantly asking him what he liked, and cracking petty jokes at his behavior. Perhaps the opposite personality in another person, was exactly what he needed.

"Pai… What are you doing to do?"

Pai's thoughts were interrupted and he blinked a few times, processing the question.

"To what are you addressing exactly?"

The cat girl looked up at him, her cheek pressed into his chest, "With your life… Do you, Kish, and Tart have families back home? What is your plan for the rest of your life?"

The tall alien shook his head, "No. None of us have family back home, all of our family and relatives have died since the war. Many of our friends suffered the same problem, our elders are simply too old to survive illness. As for the rest of my lifespan… I cannot tell. But I know I will be returning home in the near future, and making sure everything is still being repaired. Our planet is starting to prosper, thanks to the Mew Aqua. Everything is growing back, and our kind are flourishing."

She smiled, her smile was lighthearted and made his stomach flutter, "I'm really happy to hear that. I'm sorry about the whole battle between us, I mean, not like I can really apologize for everything that has happened now." She said, giggling at the end of her sentence. Pai smiled warmly at her, her laugh was even cute, he sat up when she sat up and crossed her legs, facing him.

"Oh! Remember the time you and Tart came to the cafe to attack us, and Tart broke that window, and you burst down the doors?"

Pai weakly nodded, not really wanting to remember when they were enemies, but she began laughing hysterically. She shook her head, "Shirogane was so pissed you guys did that! He had to go back and repair it and complained the entire time! It was so funny."

Pai weakly smiled, he was glad she wasn't holding grudges against him for all that he had done. He stepped out on a limb and thought of another occurrence that happened a while back,

"What about when Tart and I appeared on the beach?"

Ichigo nodded and giggled, "You guys totally ruined our beach day!"

Pai nodded, he felt his cheeks flush slightly pink, remembering her in the swimsuit. He looked over into her playful eyes,

"And your pink bathingsuit?"

Ichigo pushed him jokingly and blushed, "You perv."

The alien shook his head and the two met eyes for a few moments. Ichigo smiled and leaned in and placed a gentle, sweet kiss on his lips. Pai took in her sweet scent, she smelled sweeter than sugar, it made him crave her taste. It made him uncomfortable, how she made him act so differently than he normally would. She did something to him. Just her presence made him behave differently. Never had he held a strong interest in women, especially human women.

Ichigo smiled at him as their noses touched, he reached up and cupped her round face and pulled her into another kiss. Pai thoroughly enjoyed her soft lips, it was what the humans would call a fetish, perhaps? Ichigo broke the kiss to chuckle,

"You're pretty good at getting my mind off things ya' know?"

Pai stared into her eyes, "You changed the subject before I did, remember?"

She climbed onto his lap and lightly kissed his cheek, and trailed her lips down his cheekbone and onto his finely chiseled jawline. He had a sharply cut, elegant facial structure. Ichigo nuzzled his neck and purred into his ear, Pai surprised her with a light nibble on the side of her neck. She flinched and giggled at the sensitive spot and her ears and tail popped out. She blushed and put her arm over her ears and grabbed her tail with the other hand,

"Oh! I'm sorry! That… huh… happens sometimes when… I uh.. get surprised."

Pai shook his head and gently pulled her arms back and placed them on his shoulders, he reached up and rubbed her left ear with his right hand.

"I don't mind them, I actually… find them quite interesting."

"Interesting?" She said, a lighthearted smile on her flushed face, the alien chuckled,

"Would it be peculiar if I found them… quite attractive on you?"

He seemed slightly nervous with his statement, Ichigo's blush only darkened at his comment. Pai ran his hand through her hair and behind her neck, he curved his lips in a small smile. Ichigo leaned forward and put her hands on his firm chest, she leaned in and just brushed her lips against his. This was rather enticing to him, it always made him crave a harder pressure and to explore her mouth. He knew he must seem quite strange to her. Pai took a breath, he suddenly was afraid. No. That wasn't the word. He felt cared for now. Ichigo was here spending time with him, taking him exactly the way he was, for who he was. She wasn't changing him, just enjoying his company.

Pai, may be falling in love.

Suddenly, all the lights on the ship turned off and the engine stopped it's low pitched hum. Pai sat up immediately, "We lost power."

Ichigo sat up quickly as well, she looked around in the black room, "How could that have happened?"

"Someone _cut_ the power."

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MewMid: I'm about to post a song chappie next maybe. x3 I almost cried when I listened to it and thought of where I'm taking this fic. I decided I want there to be a very sad part… so be ready…

R and R please?


	6. Revenge

Description: The night doesn't go so well for Ichigo and Pai, and things turn for the worse. Can they survive?

Rating: T-M for some violence, nudity.

MewMid: I listened to a really sad song and decided to make this fic a little less happy. But no songfic, sorry! xD

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The red haired mew's heart raced in her chest as Pai moved to the edge of the bed to go investigate. Ichigo grabbed his forearm and pulled him back,

"Please don't go."

Pai couldn't see her face but could hear her fear in her voice, "I must investigate this Ichigo, you can come along if you don't want to be alone. We could drift far off course and into a meteor field if I don't fix the power."

The steel door to the room suddenly made a scraping sound, Ichigo flinched and jumped over and clung to Pai's body. Pai narrowed his eyes into the blackness, who could possibly be on the ship.

"Zeyphr! Pyro! Aspen! Come out!"

Pai called, Ichigo had no clue who any of those people were, but she assumed they were friendly. She trembled behind the tall alien, he was tense and stood up. Ichigo cried out to him,

"Don't go! Just come back!"

She crawled off the bed and walked after him, she jumped when she heard a teleportation sound in the room.

"Pai?"

Ichigo yelped, afraid he had left. Ichigo then heard a male grunt and a struggle go on before her blind self. There was the sound of punches and masculine groans and then the collapse of bodies on the ground. Ichigo screamed and held her hands up to try and feel around in the dark, a shock ran over her entire body when someone grabbed her wrist and threw her to the ground. Their weight was on her in a second, she screamed and hit and scratched at the person holding her down. They growled angrily at her and smacked her across the face.

Ichigo hissed in a rather cat like way and kicked her legs, "Pai! Pai help me!"

She screamed into the blackness, Pai struck his attacker in the jaw and scrambled across the dark floor. He darted over to where her voice came from, but before he could help her, he felt a sudden blow to the back of his head and neck and he collapsed onto the ground unconscious. Ichigo screamed and writhed under the person until something struck her on the side of the head causing her to blackout as well.

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There was light here. A dim light. Messy red hair was sprawled out around her aching skull as she slowly opened her eyes. Everything was blurry for a few moments as she came to. The girl slowly got a clearer image of the room around her, and realized there was someone sitting on a chair looking at her. Ichigo sat up quickly and winced when her head throbbed with pain as she did so. She glared at the alien sitting in the chair. He had rather fluffy medium blue colored hair with one long strand where Pai's hair band went, only this alien's went down to mid chest. A crooked smile appeared on his face, he lifted his hand up and waved,

"Yo."

Ichigo stared wide eyed at him, she slowly crawled up onto her feet and clambered up to stand. Her legs were slightly wobbly, but she kept her eyes on the alien.

"Who are you."

She demanded, a certain fury in her tone, her eyes glaring daggers into his gray eyes. He chuckled and leaned back in the chair, seemingly very relaxed. Ichigo cautiously looked around the room as he began talking.

"I'm Jetty, er, well you can call me Jet. You're a Mew right?"

Ichigo realized she was in a bedroom of some sort, there was a raggedy bed with messy sheets to her left, and a small door in the far left corner. She cautiously peeked behind her, it was double sliding doors similar to the exit to Pai's bedroom. Everything here was steel and cold.

"Hey!"

He snapped, causing her to flinch into an attack ready stance. He was leaning forward with an intent stare on his face.

"I asked you a question."

Ichigo wrinkled her nose slightly at his now arrogant tone, "Yes. I'm Mew Ichigo."

Jet chuckled and relaxed again leaning back in the chair, "Oh well nice to meet you girlie. I swore that you were Mew Zakuro. Hm."

She didn't respond and looked around, there was a small air vent above her, but it wasn't big enough for her to fit in. Ichigo glared back at the alien once more,

"Where's Pai?"

Jet chuckled and scratched the back of his head, "Well… I'm not sure right now."

"What do you mean about that?"

She snapped, taking a step forward and clenching her fists. He was a good ten feet away, so he couldn't directly attack her. His cocky smile appeared on his lips once again,

"Well, I mean that he could be in one, or a few. I'm not quite sure what they've done to him yet."

"You asshole! Take me to him!"

Jet sighed and frowned at her, "No need to be fussy. I'll take you to him."

Ichigo felt a slight wave of relief, she still wasn't sure where she was, but she knew she couldn't trust this alien. He stood up and walked passed her and over to the double doors,

"C'mon, follow me."

Ichigo walked over, making sure to keep out of arms reach of him. Before he opened the door, he looked over at her with a serious expression,

"If you try to run from me, keep this in mind. One, I, or another one of my teammates will catch you and punish you accordingly, and two, it's a spaceship. You have _nowhere_ to go or hide."

The red head just glared at him as he smiled once more before opening the door and taking her down a long hall. There was trash lining the walls and various objects she had never seen before. There were wrappers, clothes, dishes, broken electronics, the ship was a complete mess. He rounded a corner and took her down another hall, but then they turned left at the end of the hall, there was a wide window that led to a bright room. Ichigo could faintly see two figures on the other side.

Pai took a deep breath and yanked his arms against the cables that held him. They pulled on his skin, bruising it and making it sting. He clenched his teeth and glared at the alien in front of him.

"Well Pai how about this as a change of events?"

The violet haired alien made no comment to him, he just kept his icy glare on the other alien's eyes. The alien chuckled and put his hands on his hips,

"I'm going to kill you here. But not before I rape and kill your little girlfriend in front of you. How does that sound?"

Pai clenched his jaw, "You're an evil bastard Cray, and I won't let that happen."

Cray nodded and pursed his lip in slight amusement, he took a step closer to the alien, "But you see, I'm in control now. I could do much worse."

The tied alien yanked at the cables holding him once again, he couldn't describe how angry he was with this alien. He was a childhood enemy that never stopped harassing Kish and Tart when they were kids, so Pai dealt with him back then, and he's always held a grudge. Cray walked a circle around the alien, the one way glass showing their reflections. Pai couldn't see who just ran up to the glass.

Ichigo's hands flew to the glass and she pounded on it upon seeing Pai tied up on the other side.

"Pai! Oh god Pai!"

Ichigo screamed, smacking her hands against it. Pai saw the glass vibrate, he made a hurt expression, "Ichigo…" He whispered to himself, Cray leaned down by his ear.

"Lets have some fun ourselves first."

Pai yelped slightly when a fist struck him in the right cheekbone, he hung his head slightly, the pain stinging his face. Cray shook his hand,

"Damn! You've got a hard cheek Pai!" He finished with a chuckle before walking in front of him and kicking him in the chest. Pai barely made a noise at the blow to his chest. The violet haired alien yanked and struggled around suddenly in the chair, his hands behind his back. Cray punched him across the face a few repeated times and laughed while doing so.

"Man! How the tables have turned!"

He screamed walking over to Pai's right, he felt a sudden jolt to his right shoulder and the chair fell over onto the ground. Cray scoffed and walked over to him, he delivered a kick to his abdomen, but received no noise from the injured alien. Cray grit his teeth,

"Stop trying to act tough! I know this hurts!"

Pai's bottom lip bled slightly, he kept his eyes forward, a dull and lost expression on his face. He could see the glass vibrate as Ichigo pounded her arms against it.

Jet laughed as Cray continued to give Pai a savage beating behind the glass. Ichigo screamed angrily, angry hot tears rolling down her cheeks.

"Stop it! Let him go!"

She turned toward Jet and shoved him,

"Get him out of there!" She screamed loudly in his face, he held his hands up in surrender,

"There's nothing I can do, that's Cray's torture room."

She threw her arms around and punched at the glass again. Ichigo saw the door and ran over to it, kicking and screaming at it furiously. Another alien had walked up to the two outside the glass unnoticed. Jet flinched when he saw her,

"What the fuck are you doing here Lemon?"

The alien had long yellow blond hair and big sad light gray eyes, she was scrawny and looked unhealthy. She kept her eyes on Ichigo, a sad expression on her face,

"I heard screaming."

She replied quietly, looking down to the ground. Jet scoffed, "Don't be stupid. Get lost, this is Cray and I's entertainment for the night."

Lemon nodded and looked over at the hurt mew as her now bleeding fists stained the door where she was punching and kicking it. She took a deep breath and walked off in the direction she came.

Pai spat up blood on the steel floor in front of him, Cray wiped his own cheek, "Damn Pai, you still conscious?"

The violet haired alien didn't reply as he stared up at the glass, hoping Ichigo would know everything would be okay. Cray looked over at the glass and motioned for them to enter. Jet grabbed her hair and teleported them inside, tossing her on the ground. Ichigo attempted to rush over to Pai but was held back by the hand in her red hair. She flailed around, crying angrily at him.

"Let me go! Pai!"

She cried as Cray laughed in her face, but her eyes went passed him to stare at her broken alien. Pai breathed slowly as blood pooled around his face, his cheek bleeding and blood seeping out of his mouth from an unseen injury. Cray stood upright and looked back over at Pai,

"Had enough? Ready for hers?"

Pai's eyes slowly moved up to Cray's, he gave him an angry look, "No."

The violet haired alien writhed and tried to sit up from the floor, the chair had broken when he fell, Pai's arms were only held by the piece of the back of the chair. A surprised expression appeared on Cray's face,

"You're a crazy son of a bitch Pai. All right."

Cray delivered a kick to Pai's right shoulder and swooped down and punched his jaw. Pai spat blood at the vicious alien, Cray seethed and jumped on him, his hands flying around Pai's neck. Cray squeezed Pai's windpipe and he shook his head, smacking it on the floor under them. Cray punched him a few times more and leaned in close,

"I hope you enjoy this as much as I will."

Ichigo flailed around, sobbing as she kicked and tried to hit the alien holding the lock of her hair. Pai surged forward and headbutted the cream haired alien that held his neck, Cray gasped and fell backwards off Pai onto his rear. Cray held his now bleeding nose and stood up away from the severely beaten alien. Ichigo screamed and punched the blue haired alien in the stomach.

He released her and she fell back onto the ground, Ichigo scrambled over to Pai.

"Oh god! Pai! Pai it's okay now!"

She cried kneeling beside him, leaning in close to gently stroke his hair. She kissed his bloody cheek and forced a smiled down at him,

"It's going to be okay."

Pai stared up at her sad face, his throat ached, as did the rest of his body. His hands felt numb underneath his back. The mew shook her head, tears falling on the floor into Pai's blood. Pai clenched his eyes shut, his eyes hurt, but not because they were injured. Ichigo frowned as he opened his eyes, his eyes glassy,

"I'm sorry."

He said quietly, he moved to sit up and look at her. He sat crookedly, his arms making it difficult to sit straight.

Cray wiped blood from his face as he stood beside Jet, "You ready to end this?"

Jet chuckled and walked over to Ichigo, "I thought you'd never end this sappy-ass moment."

He grabbed Ichigo's hair and yanked her back across the room, she screamed as he dragged her over to the nearest wall and threw her head against it. Pai clenched his jaw and yanked and struggled with his hands. Cray grinned at Pai once again,

"Enjoy the view man."

Pai writhed around as Jet grabbed Ichigo's arms and held them above her head as he put himself standing behind her, leaning against the glass. Ichigo was half sitting, half hanging by her arms as Cray knelt down in front of her. Pai pushed one of his hands down and pulled the other up, his tendons creaked against the pressure. The violet haired alien ripped his right hand out of the cables binding his hands, breaking the tendons in his right hand as he did so.

Cray wasn't expecting the break-neck blow to strike him in the ribcage from the right. Pai grabbed Jet's throat with his left hand and crushed his windpipe, thrusting his head forward and smashing it into the front of Jet's skull. Pai let the blue haired alien crumple to the ground. The tall alien walked over and kicked Cray a few times, the cream haired alien cringing on the floor below him. Pai leaped on top of him and began delivering countless punches to his face. Cray screamed and flailed around on the floor, trying to get away from all he punches.

Just as Jet sat up and glared at Ichigo, someone teleported into the room in front of him. The alien towered over him, and Jet's world went black when his skull slammed into the wall behind him.

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MewMid: Oh man that was a lot of fun. x3 Cray didn't get as far as he usually did in my fics, but I hope everyone liked it nevertheless.

R and R please!


	7. Healing Injuries, Breaking Hearts

Description: Ichigo thanks their savior and Pai makes a full recovery. Will things calm down again?

Rating: T

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The alien before Ichigo was tall, far taller than Pai. Unnaturally tall. Ichigo leaned back and looked up, a dark blue pony tail hung from the back of his head, feathery layers twisted off in random directions from his skull. His long pointed ears seemed to almost droop. Her heart raced as he turned toward her, her eyes fell to his hands immediately. His long arms ended in steel hands. His hands were robotic. His face had a long scar down the side, and his ears even had scars. The tall alien smiled warmly and reached out to her,

"Don't worry. I'll save you."

Pai collapsed onto the floor beside Cray as the cream haired alien rolled away from them, his face bleeding profusely. The tall alien walked passed her and grabbed Pai, lifting him up bridal style, Pai winced and looked up into the aliens eyes. The enormous alien smiled down at him,

"You don't look well Pai."

He said calmly, looking down at the beaten alien. Pai groaned and weakly smiled,

"Binx. Long time no see."

Ichigo reached up and grabbed Pai's loose arm as Binx teleported them. They appeared on an unfamiliar ship to Ichigo. He strode down the hall and into a large infirmary. Pai was put on a large medical bed and began sifting around through medical equipment. Ichigo trembled as tears spilled down her cheeks, she had her hands clasped together in front of her chest. The room was freezing cold. She flinched when the sliding door they had entered opened again and two more aliens rushed in. A red haired alien and a short blue haired alien. The small blue haired alien was the first by Pai's side,

"Pai! Pai are you okay?"

He asked in a panic, Pai barely had his eyes open and he groaned. He was loosing blood, a lot of it. The red haired alien pulled back the smaller alien,

"Get back Aspen, Binx has to help him."

Aspen writhed around, tears welling in his eyes, "Oh god Pai!"

Ichigo was frozen, staring as Binx began treating Pai's wounds. It was at least two hours before Binx was finished, Pai was unconscious now, resting peacefully.

The red haired girl cautiously approached the hurt alien, "Oh Pai…"

The red haired alien frowned from a chair across the room as Binx washed his hands. Ichigo looked over at the partly robotic alien,

"Who are you?"

He weakly smiled, he reminded her of Keiichiro a little with the way he smiled.

"My name is Binx. I am a friend of Pai's. He and I go way back. He, gave me my arms back."

Binx held up his robotic arms and looked down at them, Ichigo frowned. She looked sad for him, but then swooned down over Pai. He was sleeping peacefully,

"Thank you so much for saving him, and me."

Binx smiled over at the girl, "Anytime. I owed him my life after the accident."

Ichigo looked over at him, an interested expression on her face, "What happened? If you don't mind my asking."

He shook his head, "I don't mind at all, I am an engines technician, and I was working on the master ship, The Galaxiom's faulty engine. It fired early because it was broken, and I hadn't yet closed the hatch, the fire exploded out of the small hatch, taking me with it. My arms… were taken clean off. As I was bleeding to death on the floor, Pai was the first to find me. He saved me, despite my size, he carried me back and took me to his ship where he performed the operation. At first he 'capped' the wounds to prevent them from bleeding out, he fixed my skin and saved my organs and eyes. While I was in recovery, he designed and built some mechanical arms for my body, and somehow connected it to my nervous system. And here I am."

Tears rolled down Ichigo's cheeks, she swallowed hard, "I… I'm so sorry." She forced out. Binx smiled warmly at her,

"It's okay, Pai saved me."

Ichigo looked back at Pai, "He really has a knack for that."

Binx sighed and looked down at the alien, "He'll be okay. What about you?"

She weakly nodded and kept her eyes on the still violet haired alien. He nodded in return and left her to be alone with Pai. She didn't realize it, but she dozed off dreaming of happier times.

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When Ichigo woke up, she was in her own bed at home. She rubbed her head and looked around, slightly panicked.

"How did I..?"

She got up and ran over to her door and looked around outside her room, she couldn't hear anyone.

"Mom! Dad?"

Ichigo heard footsteps from downstairs and she ran down the stairs and almost fell when someone stepped out of the kitchen at the base of the stairs. Pai was standing in front of her, he had a bandage on his cheek and he looked a little banged up, but he was there.

"Oh god Pai! You're here?"

She ran up and hugged him, nuzzling his chest. Pai returned her gentle embrace,

"I am. Binx told me I was ready to return home and I decided to stay with you when I saw your parents leave. They will be home around 4pm if I am not mistaken."

Ichigo nodded, "Everything's okay now! We're both going to be okay, I'm so glad you're all right."

Pai ran his fingers through her dark cherry colored hair, she took a deep breath. Pai held her tightly, he wouldn't have forgiven himself if they had actually hurt her. He knew Cray and Jet were bastards, and that they had been taken care of after the incident. Ichigo grabbed his hands,

"What did you want to do today?"

Pai looked down at her with a blank expression, "I didn't have much in mind, but-"

Her cell phone rang upstairs, she jumped when she heard it, "Come on, just for a sec!"

She said turning and darting up the stairs, she was so cute scrambling up the stairs. Pai followed at a leisurely pace and leaned against the door frame in her doorway as Ichigo answered her cellphone.

"Hello?"

"Hey Ichigo! It'sMasaya."

Ichigo's expression was one of pure shock, she looked over at Pai, the alien tilted his head in confusion at the girls sudden distress. Her tone suddenly changed to frustrated worry,

"What are you calling me for Masaya?"

Masaya seemed a little hurt by her harsh words, "I just wanted to talk. Could you meet me in about an hour, maybe at that restaurant I took you to not too long ago? The small italian one?"

Ichigo took a struggled breath, and looked over at Pai, he was just observing quietly. She bit her lip,

"A-All right…"

"Okay, Good! I look forward to it!"

Ichigo hung up the phone and looked over at Pai, his expression was fairly emotionless and didn't seem to falter as she walked over to him. Ichigo had a sad look on her face, her big brown eyes looking up at him like a child that had done something wrong,

"Pai… I'll just be a little while, I am just going to see what he says. I-"

"I understand. I know you had strong feelings for him."

Ichigo shook her head, now feeling quite upset. Pai felt rather angry at the situation, but let go of his hostile feelings when she looked as though she would cry. He hated seeing her cry, it broke his heart.

"It's not like that Pai… I'm going to tell him I'm with you!"

Pai nodded and reached out, he pulled her close to him and her head pressed to his chest as she sniffed, fighting back tears. Pai slid one hand to the back of her head and gently ran his fingers around over her scalp,

"It's all right. Do as you please Ichigo. I'll find you whenever you leave that restaurant."

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Ichigo walked briskly as she made her way toward the restaurant, when she entered the building, he was already there. She made her way over to Masaya's table and sat down with a frustrated sigh, she looked over at him, he smiled warmly.

"Hey Ichigo!"

Ichigo shook her head and brushed some hair out of her eyes, "What are we doing here Masaya?"

Masaya chuckled, "Whenever you're worried or mad you call me Masaya."

The cat girl groaned and looked around, she seemed as though she was in a rush. The black haired boy frowned,

"I just wanted to talk."

"About what Masaya? We talked outside the cafe the other day, and I thought we settled this.."

Ichigo's tone was one of annoyance as she stared over at him, Masaya shifted uncomfortably, this wasn't an Ichigo he was used to.

"Well, I just wanted to see how you were doing, and if you have an answer for me."

The red head took a deep breath, why not tell him everything?

"Look, I've had a hell of a night Masaya. I was kidnapped by the alien that attacked me and almost raped and killed while Pai was nearly beaten to death in front of me. Luckily, Pai broke out and beat the aliens senseless, and a friend of his came and rescued us from the ship. I've been spending my time with Pai, Masaya. He's… incredible, he's like no one I have ever met."

Masaya shook his head, his expression one of utter shock.

"I'm so sorry that happened! Are you all right?"

Ichigo shrugged and looked around, she felt upset again.

"No! I'm not okay! I just want to go home and rest. Pai's waiting for me."

The black haired boy looked down, he seemed hurt and lost, "I don't know what to say Ichigo… I wanted to see if we could perhaps… I don't know, work things out?"

Ichigo took a deep breath, looking over at him, "I don't think so."

Masaya moved back as Ichigo stood up to leave, she held her purse tightly and looked down at the guy she once really loved, "I'm sorry, but we aren't the same people we once were Masaya. People change, and I've moved on."

The girl then turned and left the restaurant, as she walked down the side of the road, she took a shaky breath. She felt bad for hurting him, her throat ached, she hated hurting people. Ichigo flinched and looked up from the sidewalk when an alien landed down in front of her. Pai had a small smile on his face,

"That didn't take long."

Ichigo shook her head and threw her arms around him, sobbing on his chest. Pai frowned and hugged her, she shook her head in his chest as well, "Pai! I'm so lost, did I do the right thing?"

It bothered him how some humans could be so uncertain of themselves. That's one thing his race pride themselves on, whatever decision they made, they stuck with it no matter what. Pai picked her up and teleported, hoping no one saw. But one person did see. A certain boy watched from the window of the nearby restaurant, his heart breaking as they disappeared.

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MewMid: Muahahah sucks for Masaya. xD

R and R please?


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